The Lonesome Billies grew up together around the Portland area skate scene, and it shows as their live sets often include country versions of Ramones and Fugazi standards. It should be no surprise then that their songs share as much thematically with their punk and glam rock predecessors as they do the outlaw country turf they tread musically.
Inspired by the country funk albums of the late ’70s, Right On Time builds on classic storylines and is galvanized through their own personal experiences. The result is a groovier, more hook laden album than their debut LP It’s Good To Be Lonesome from 2015. You can hear this in the new single, “Five Dollar Bill.”
“‘Five Dollar Bill’ is largely about the struggle to make ends meet and explores the anxiety that comes from such uncertainty,” says guitarist Jeff Gaither, aka Gator Bill. “It’s a story that many will relate to. The loathing you feel leaving for work early when it’s dark, coming home when it’s dark, all for some dead end job that barely covers the bills. Sometimes hopelessness leads us further into despair, which can make one ask themselves ‘Should I hit the road and leave it all behind? Maybe drive to the nearest Casino and put it all on black?’ Other times it will harden our resolve to achieve a couple simple goals in life, like finding a nice place to live, or having enough scratch to take your lady out on Friday night. The character in this song weighs their options and contemplates the possibility of brighter future.”
The band will celebrate the release of Right On Time with a release show on September 14 at Mississippi Studios in Portland, Oregon, and the album will be officially released everywhere on September 20.
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